After four seasons, it finally happened. No. 21 Pittsburgh assured itself bowl eligibility and its first winning season since head coach Dave Wannstedt took charge in December 2004.

The Panthers (7-2, 3-1 Big East) defeated Louisville (5-4, 1-3 Big East), 41-7, Saturday to cement its winning record.

After four seasons, Wannstedt has had ample time to develop his own recruits and build a new coaching staff. Now, Pittsburgh is tied with Cincinnati and West Virginia atop the Big East for first. All three teams are 3-1 in conference play.

At the beginning of this season, five new coaches joined Wannstedt’s staff, including defensive coordinator Phil Bennett and offensive line coach Tony Wise. Bennett was previously the head coach at Southern Methodist from 2002-07. Wise spent the 2006-07 season as the New York Jets line coach before Wannstedt hired him to coach at Pitt in January.

‘Our coaches have done a really good job,’ Wannstedt said Monday in a teleconference. ‘We have way too many new coaches, but coming in they did a really great job of meshing in, and that helped us a lot.’

Pittsburgh’s ability to win on the road has been crucial.

The Panthers squeezed by Syracuse (2-7, 1-4 Big East) at the Carrier Dome Sept. 27 after trailing the first three quarters. Pittsburgh outscored Syracuse 18-0 in the fourth and won the game, 34-24.

Last season, Pittsburgh struggled on the road. It suffered a double-overtime loss to Connecticut, 46-45, Nov. 11 in Hartford, Conn. UConn wideout D.J. Hernandez caught a two-point conversion in the Huskies’ final possession to win the game, leading his team back from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit. The loss was part of a five-game losing streak for Pitt along its 6-6 season.

Now, Wannstedt exudes confidence. He said his team stacks up against others in talent and athleticism.

Wannstedt knows winning games is the best way for his program to recruit talent. Pittsburgh is already seeing this effect.

‘We were very fortunate in the past to get some good, talented kids when we as a team were not winning very many football games,’ Wannstedt said. ‘But now we have 14 to 15 commits, and we give out about 18-19 scholarships, so we are going to be squeezed in there. The better you play, the more kids want to come play at your school, because they see the stability and continuity of the program.’

This season, Wannstedt and his team’s vision is clear. Being bowl-eligible is not enough. The Panthers have their eyes set on the Big East Championship.

‘We had our plan laid out,’ Wannstedt said. ‘We have been able to stay healthy and win close games, close games on the road. Winning football games, we’ve been able to do that.

‘I love our guys’ attitude. The goal right now is definitely the Big East Championships, but we have to find a way to beat Cincinnati to do that.’

Pittsburgh has three games left in its regular season schedule, but the remaining three opponents will be the hardest it has faced yet. Pittsburgh will play No. 22 Cincinnati, Connecticut and West Virginia to finish its season.

Rushing through the conference

The Big East has been full of productive running backs this season.

Connecticut running back Donald Brown continues to lead the nation with 1,406 yards on 245 carries, averaging 156 yards per game.

The Big East has four running backs in the top 25 leading rushers in the nation.

Currently, two Big East running backs have more than 1,000 yards – Brown and Pittsburgh’s LeSean McCoy. McCoy has rushed for 1,043 yards on 210 carries. Three others are on pace to also eclipse this barrier. West Virginia’s Noel Devine, Syracuse’s Curtis Brinkley and Louisville’s Vic Anderson have rushed for 967, 966 and 913 yards, respectively, so far this season.

No. 22 Cincinnati serves West Virginia first conference loss

Before last weekend’s game, West Virginia (6-3, 3-1 Big East) sat alone as the only team undefeated in Big East play. The Mountaineers ranked first in the conference, just as predicted in the preseason.

But with Tony Pike back at quarterback, No. 22 Cincinnati (7-2, 3-1 Big East) thwarted West Virginia’s hopes of an undefeated conference record. Pike threw a game-winning touchdown in overtime to Kazeem Alli Saturday to give the Bearcats a 26-23 win.

The two teams are now in a three-way tie with No. 21 Pittsburgh for first place in the conference.

‘We knew going in to beat a team like West Virginia, we had to play great defense,’ Cincinnati head coach Brian Kelly said Monday during a teleconference. ‘We had to contain Pat White and a great group of offensive players. … It was a great win for us.’

mkgalant@syr.edu

Published on November 11, 2008 at 12:00 pm